What causes obesity? The answer is obvious, fast food. In a world where the obesity rates are rapidly rising, the biggest question is why? Almost 100% of the population believes that fast food is directly linked to obesity. According to facebook, it is nearly impossible to resist eating fast food. 5 out of 5 people will stop at a Mcdonalds if given the opportunity, and let’s face it, they’re everywhere. Fast food is the cause of the obesity epidemic in America. First, the ingredients used in fast food meals are absurd. They have more total fat, carbohydrates, and added sugars. (Does fast food…) In order for a person to not gain weight they need to eat the same amount of calories that they can work off. Fast food makes that impossible. A double …show more content…
20 years ago they served small burgers with 335 calories, but now you have to buy a large burger that is nearly 1000 calories. Fast food joints also have the option to not only supersize, but megasize now. When they ask if someone would like to megasize there order they are basically saying: “Can I take this extra large soda and make it even larger?” The best part of the megasize option is that it only costs about $0.5 extra. At Taco Bell they understand that people are growing in size, and they figured that there food should as well. They are just looking out for the consumer, and making sure all their needs are being …show more content…
While fast food is a major player in obesity, it is not solely the issue. “Obesity results from an imbalance between the amount of energy taken in, through eating and drinking, and the amount of energy spent on metabolism and physical activity” (Mandal). People in this world have free agency, which is the power to choose. We all make choices everyday. If a person chooses to eat fast food everyday, and not workout, then there choosing to get fat. If a person can’t pass by a Mcdonald’s without stopping and getting something, they have a problem much bigger than
From Morgan Spurlock’s documentary “Supersize Me”, an inference can be made that fast food can and should be taken with certain precautions especially in america where obesity is at an all time high. A correlation can be made that there is a fast food restaurant on every corner and the vigorous ads and commercials that are displayed on billboards, televisions, radio and cell phones teasing the audience to go out and buy this new burger instead of them staying home and eating something that would actually be beneficial to their health. Americans are not safe from the alluring temptation of fast food. In the video documentary “supersize me” Morgan Spurlock admitted that his body had cravings after 3 days of eating McDonalds non stop.
Once the body is accustomed to these portions it becomes more of an addiction than anything else. This of course began to increase the amount of obese individuals in America for which fast food companies believe themselves to be off the hook in terms of responsibility. Fast food companies should face the facts and witness the true effects their greed for sales and profits have brought upon America and its inhabitants. I have witnessed first hand the effects fast food has had on a few of my aunts and uncles. They don’t have very much money so places like McDonalds with their super sizes was like a blessing which they began to consume too much of.
“As a culture, we no longer discuss healthy eating without also discussing unhealthy weights…eating too much-often without any parallel warnings against eating too little…overeating constitutes ‘the greatest threat’ to our survival” (Maxfield 444). The main point in both of these articles that both authors agree with is the fact that people don’t add up all their calories they eat daily, which should be less than or equal to 3500 calories. When you go to a fast food restaurant, usually a normal “healthy” person would get a salad, large drink, and a side item like fries; this normally doesn’t seem like a lot of calories, but then you add the dressing and this healthy lunch turns out becoming an unhealthy 1700 calories already in one meal. Not only is fast food a lot of calories, but it is really cheap too, and most people spend their money on this instead of eating healthy and spending more money. “Americans spend less than 10 percent of their income on food; they also spend less than a half hour a day preparing meals and little more than an hour enjoying them” (Pollan 439).
The Truth of Obesity Fast food has been around for decades and it is an industry which will continue to grow, it is because of this main reason why so many Americans are now obese. Along with the lack of education and knowledge that many Americans are decrease their life span. However, obesity has never been such a vast problem as it stands today with its large population of uneducated and fast food hungry Americans. With this massive epidemic that is taking over America, comes many health issues and its targets begin with the children who become addicted to unhealthy but satisfying meals suffering from overweight, high cholesterol, and blood pressure to name a few.
The main contributor, widely reported by top experts, is the consumption of cheap, and convenient foods such as fast food and the myriad of boxed foods available in the supermarket. Diane Brady asserts in her essay, “The Employer-Friendly Case for Pricer Big Macs” that “Of all the reasons why a third of U.S. adults are obese, the lure of cheap, unhealthy food ranks near the top” (519). With continual attention being given to the effects of unhealthy foods on adults and especially young people, one would think that America would wise up and stop consuming it at such an alarming rate. Again, Brady points out that, “Fast food chains have raised their game with healthier menu offerings and support for programs that encourage physical activity, but they continue to thrive by selling high-calorie food. McDonald’s salads, introduced in 1987, make up just 2 percent to 3 percent of U.S. sales” (520).
Obesity in the U.S. Obesity plagues about 35% of adults and 17% of children in the United States. Poor diet and lack of exercise contribute mostly to this problem. Due to your “on the go” lifestyle and the convenience of fast food you are like a lot of the population. Here are some easy ideas that may help you change all of that. o Stay away from that favorite burger joint.
When obesity comes into a conversation, most people bring the attention toward fast food. Americans target fast food as the main reason why obesity has become so out of control. The high amounts of fat, cholesterol, sugars, and salts in fast food raises the amount of calories contained. When people consume fast food, most don’t think about the amount of calories that they’re about to put in their system. In most meals at fast food restaurants the max amount of calories is enough to cover for the amount of calories people should consume in one day.
That there is an obesity epidemic in America and the western world in general is not in doubt, but there is neither single nor simple answer as to why. It is obvious that in the US, as elsewhere, many things contribute to those ever-expanding waistlines of the population. It can all be broken down into elements such as genetics, environment nature and nurture, the environmental aspect being simply that the majority of folks these days get far less exercise than they did after say, WWII. The average working man used to have a job dominated by physical activity, but such work has largely been replaced with much more sedentary employment, meaning that lack of exercise combined with normal eating easily translates to excess weight as time goes by.
That’s the main reason why so many people are obese and overweight in the United States. Although they do have some excuses for eating so much fast food. McDonalds restaurants are everywhere. Wherever you go, if you ever want McDonalds, you can be sure that there is one nearby. Advertisements for fast food are everywhere; street signs, advertisements
No it isn’t the result of just fast food, but it’s a combination of lifestyle and dietary factors also. With American culture becoming busier and busier every year the fast food industry has capitalized on the fact that one we need food, two we need it fast, three we need it cheap3. While some people are very aware of what they are fueling their bodies with, there are still people that need to be educated on the damage regular eating of fast food can do to you. Fast foods are highly processed, full of calories, sodium, and normally fried containing to many calories and too little nutrition.
Junk food is responsible for the growing rate of obesity. This is outlined by David freedman in his article of “How junk food can end obesity.” David Freedman has credited the “health-food” motion, and followers of it along with Michel Pollan. Freedman claims that if the America desires to stop the obesity epidemic, or at least reduce its effects, they must shift to the fast meals and processed meals enterprise for assist, now not the “health-food” movement.
But when they receive the menus and look at the prices, it is only human nature to order something cheaper than normal. The price for a salad at McDonalds is around four dollars and fifty-nine cents without a drink or side item. However, the price for a cheeseburger, French fries, and a Coca-Cola is around three dollars and seventy-nine cents, which is way cheaper than the alternative healthy option above. So the price difference for someone who cannot afford the expensive option is too much. In order to stop the obesity rate from going up, these prices need to
Americans are exposed to huge food portions everywhere including places such as restaurants, gas stations, movie theaters, supermarkets, and many more. Many meals and snacks can feed more people instead of one. Eating large portions means too much energy stored in your body. In one day, you would consume 1,595 more calories than if you had the same food portions served 20 years ago. Top fast-food and restaurant chains like McDonalds and Wendys continue to introduce new large-size portions.
The author gives several “short-term and long-term consequences” that can happen from eating a lot of fast food which are gaining more weight than those who don’t eat out as often, not meeting nutrient needs, and consuming more calories than
Anyone can walk down the street and see a fast food place almost anywhere they go. Humans have a tendency to be lazy. It 's much easier to go down the street and pick up a hamburger than to make a low-calorie meal at home. It 's less complex to the consumer. According to a Heidi Godman, executive editor of Harvard 's Health Letter "teenagers and kids consumed far more calories in fast-food and other restaurants than they did at home.